411. Growing up online, early fame and rediscovering your creativity ft. Arden Rose

Growing up on the internet creates a unique psychological landscape where personal identity and formative mistakes are permanently documented for a massive audience. Early YouTube creators navigated this transition from organic, bedroom-based content to a professionalized industry without the benefit of modern digital literacy. This evolution often masked underlying mental health struggles, including disordered eating and trichotillomania, which were frequently exacerbated by the pressure to maintain a specific online persona. As creators enter their thirties, the focus shifts toward reclaiming personal agency, prioritizing body neutrality over performative perfection, and finding value in offline pursuits like oil painting. Ultimately, the experience reveals that the perceived scrutiny of an online audience is often less significant than the internal pressure to perform, highlighting the importance of separating one's self-worth from digital metrics.